Fitness

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I had been testing out a bunch of different workout shoes over the last couple of months. I have been running a lot more: 3-4 miles per day, about 4 days per week. I have developed plantar faciatis and it had become more unbearable when it came to running. I needed new shoes, bad.

Well, hello! If you’ve been here awhile, you know that I am fitness obsessed. Before you want to punch me in the face for that, know that it took me a good year to fall in love with the gym when I first started going routinely 8 years ago.

Being the tester of new exercise routines that I am, I had to try BBG and PWR on the Sweat app because everyone and their grandma’s talk about it. I had to see what the buzz was about. I asked on Instastories if you all wanted a review and my experience and opinions on BBG & PWR, so here I am.

First, a disclaimer: I have been lifting weights for several years and I have taken about a million exercise classes from Bodypump to pilates to spin. I am no stranger to working out – but that doesn’t make me a know-it-all. It just means that I have experience and wasn’t starting from scratch when I started using the Sweat app.

Let’s start with what the Sweat app is.

It was created by Kayla Itsines and it is now home to her famous BBG (Bikini Body Guide) workout programs. In 2017, the Sweat app added two new trainers, Kelsey Wells and Sjana Elise with their workout programs. Kelsey Well’s program focuses on weight lifting and is called PWR. If you’ve seen her on Instagram, you know that her body is AMAZING.

BBG/The Sweat app has an incredible community unlike any other fitness community in the world – check out the hashtag #bbgcommunity on Instagram. Insane!

Here is what a typical workout looks like in the PWR section:

1. Activation exercise circuits

The timer starts for 4 minutes and you complete the first activation exercise for a specific amount of reps and then move on to the second exercise for a specific amount of reps. You repeat this until the timer runs out.

2. Pyramid Sets

The pyramid set section is usually where the weight lifting starts. There are 3 weight lifting exercises to complete in each pyramid, and you are not timed. You just need to complete each pyramid.

3. Supersets

The supersets are similar to the activation exercise circuits. For the supersets, the timer will start for 6 minutes and you’ll do a specific number of reps for the first exercise. You’ll then do the same for the second exercise.

Following the second exercise, the app will give you a 30-second rest. The main 6-min timer still ticks during the rest period, so the 30-second rests contribute to the time. If you wanted to get more out of the workout rather than resting, you could skip that time and continue the circuit.

Following the rest, you will repeat the circuit until the time runs out.

After the timer runs out, you’ll have another rest break and then will start the second superset. This is the same as the first except with new exercises. Once the 6 minutes are up, you’re all done with the workout!

When you have a lot of weight to lose, usually any exercise program accompanied by clean eating will result in weight loss. While I lost minimal weight (because my eating stayed consistent from before and this wasn’t my first time doing these types of exercises), my first round of PWR (12 weeks) of the program provided me with more variety to my usual workouts. There were lots of moves that I had never done before, thus making me very SORE which I loved.

Having completed two full rounds of the PWR program, and 5 weeks of Kelsey’s PWR 2.0 program, it was evident that lots of research and applied science went into the creation of the program.

So, why did I quit?

I GOT BORED

I started to dread the monotony of the circuits and I began bribing myself to do the next circuit. This became really annoying as the weeks went on. I even started to add on some of my own workouts or replace the app workouts with my own.

I INTRODUCED TRAINING SPLITS

The PWR (and BBG) workouts are organized to include two muscle groups, such as Legs and Shoulders. While changing it up is great, I prefer to stick with upper body or lower body, or a specific muscle group if I really want to train a certain area. The combinations messed up my usual flow and it bugged me.

The verdict: PWR is great for anyone who wants to lift weights and learn new moves. However, the program as a whole is not flexible if you want to introduce training splits or want variety.

If cardio was a person, he/she would be plain old BORING. Boring because it’s just about as fun as staring at a wall.

Of course running specifically trims you up faster than any other kind of exercise. I shared in my latest video that I am upping my fitness game, and running is one thing I am diving head first into. I am BIG on weight lifting. I LOVE it. Pop on a podcast or music, and I can lift weights for a solid hour. And that’s what I have been doing consistently for the past several years. There have been periods where I’ve done consistent cardio in there too, and those were the times that I was at my best, in my personal opinion. Where I looked and felt my best.

On the bright side of the bore, INTERVALS are even better than straight running. I know never to say never, but I’m very tempted to say that I don’t think I could ever run for 30+ minutes straight. Luckily for me, intervals are where we see the most change and provide amazing health benefits. Doing intervals really revs up your metabolism and aids in major fat loss.

Since I hate running outside (also a plus side because I like to stay out of the sun), I always run on a treadmill. Running on a treadmill helps me track my time, speed, and mileage so easily.

Here’s my exact treadmill workout (it will leave you SWEATY as hell):

+ Walk at a regular pace for 2 minutes (3.2 speed for me)

+ Jog for 2 minutes (6 speed for me)

+ Walk for 1 minute

+ Walk at a 9 incline at 3 speed for 2 minutes

+ Walk for 2 minutes at 3.2

+ Sprint for 1 minute (7 speed)

…And then repeat for 45 minutes, or an hour if I’m feeling really into it.

What helps me GET INTO IT? The Real Housewives. Specifically, The Real Housewives of Orange County and Beverly Hills. 100% of my Bravo TV watching is done on the treadmill. I’m currently on season 6 of RHOBH and I think Yolanda’s divorce is impending…

Seriously, anything that can provide a good distraction works wonders. I would not be able to run for 45+ minutes even with just music. I’m still able to track my intervals and maintain them while watching a show on my ipad mini. Best investment ever, by the way!

My cardio days are now FUN. I look forward to them because I want to catch up on my fave Bravo show. Whatever works, right?!